Poland: the Carpathians & Krakow

Poland: the Carpathians & Krakow Overview

We walk in national parks in the Carpathians through beech woods and limestone gorges and along ridges with extensive views. We finish in Krakow, based in a 5 star historic hotel, and explore mediaeval churches, excellent gallery and museum collections and the lively street markets. The 11-day tour runs 4 – 14 Sep 2020 and costs from £ 2581 pp.

Southeast Poland, part of the former independent kingdom of Galicia and later a province of the Austrian Empire, was a rural backwater until recently. Dramatic castles and Uniate wooden churches punctuate the landscape. Remote national parks in the 1,000-mile Carpathian range of mountains offer excellent walking, through beech woods and limestone gorges and along ridges with extensive views.

Historic Krakow, Poland’s cultural capital and seat of the monarchy for centuries, contains mediaeval churches; excellent galleries and museums; lively street markets and cafes and summer festival events. The many highlights of Krakow include the Royal Castle Wawel, containing its 14C cathedral, and the mediaeval market square, one of the largest in Europe, featuring the 14C Cloth Market and the Church of St. Mary which withstood the Mongol Horde.